Best in dance for 2012 | Laura Bleiberg

Caption'Cleopatra, CEO'

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, Los Angeles' best-known and most prolific site-specific dance company, has had a busy year with a revival of Duckler's breakthrough work, "Laudromatinee"; ongoing performances of "Expulsion" (in partnership with cultural organizations in Koreatown and Little Ethiopia); "Kiss n' Ride," commissioned for the Van Nuys FlyAway; and "Catch Your Breath" at the Barlow Respiratory Hospital. Highest praise, however, is reserved for "Cleopatra, CEO," January's excursion through the 51st-story penthouse suite of the Paul Hastings Tower downtown. In overlaying the Egyptian queen's story within a seat of 20th century of capitalist power (the former headquarters for ARCO), Duckler cleverly matched the ancient with the contemporary, a Middle East monarchy with big oil, and sidestepped a minefield of movement clichés.

Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, Los Angeles' best-known and most prolific site-specific dance company, has had a busy year with a revival of Duckler's breakthrough work, "Laudromatinee"; ongoing performances of "Expulsion" (in partnership with cultural organizations in Koreatown and Little Ethiopia); "Kiss n' Ride," commissioned for the Van Nuys FlyAway; and "Catch Your Breath" at the Barlow Respiratory Hospital. Highest praise, however, is reserved for "Cleopatra, CEO," January's excursion through the 51st-story penthouse suite of the Paul Hastings Tower downtown. In overlaying the Egyptian queen's story within a seat of 20th century of capitalist power (the former headquarters for ARCO), Duckler cleverly matched the ancient with the contemporary, a Middle East monarchy with big oil, and sidestepped a minefield of movement clichés. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Jean-Christophe Maillot's "Cinderella," at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in February, was filled with revelatory twists and delights, including dystopian sets and costumes. The story was told via its barefoot heroine (no glass slipper for her) as well as a shift in focus onto the fairy godmother character, who in this version was Cinderella's dead mother. A musical choreographer, Maillot is artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, which was making its West Coast debut with an international cast that displayed a crisply energetic style.

Jean-Christophe Maillot's "Cinderella," at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in February, was filled with revelatory twists and delights, including dystopian sets and costumes. The story was told via its barefoot heroine (no glass slipper for her) as well as a shift in focus onto the fairy godmother character, who in this version was Cinderella's dead mother. A musical choreographer, Maillot is artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, which was making its West Coast debut with an international cast that displayed a crisply energetic style. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)